To terminate a strata manager, the owners corporation should read the current management agreement, confirm the expiry date and termination clauses, identify the voting and notice requirements, compare replacement managers, pass the required resolution at a meeting, issue formal written notice, and manage a documented handover of funds, records, contracts and access credentials.
There is no single Australia-wide notice period. The correct period depends on your state or territory, the signed management agreement, whether you are ending the appointment early or not renewing it, and the reason for termination. Always check the contract and the current state law before serving notice.
Yes, in NSW the owners corporation generally needs to pass a majority motion at an AGM or EGM to remove its strata managing agent. The resolution authorises the decision but does not replace the notice and termination process in the management agreement.
Usually not automatically. Calling the reason 'for cause' does not by itself create a right to dismiss a strata manager immediately. The owners corporation must check the signed management agreement and applicable state legislation.
In NSW, the outgoing strata manager must hand over the owners corporation's records, accounts and other owners corporation property in the manager's possession or control — the strata roll, financial and levy records, meeting records, contracts, insurance, by-laws, capital works documents, keys and access credentials.
Not necessarily. There is no standard Australia-wide exit fee. Whether anything is payable depends on the signed management agreement, how the appointment ends, the notice given and the law in your state — and an excessive charge for ending the agreement may be an unfair contract term.
Not from us. Local Strata Manager does not contact your current strata manager simply because you have requested replacement quotes — your enquiry stays private during the comparison stage, and you decide when and how the current manager is formally notified.
The scheme keeps operating. In NSW, if there is no new manager, the outgoing manager's handover goes to the strata committee — and the owners corporation stays responsible for finances, insurance, records, levies, meetings and maintenance until a replacement is appointed.
The money stays the owners corporation's money throughout the changeover. The outgoing manager reconciles the scheme's balances, transfers cleared funds through an authorised trust or banking arrangement, and hands over the financial records so the incoming manager can verify the opening position.
Usually no. Most Australian states do not provide a general statutory cooling-off period that lets an owners corporation simply change its mind after appointing and signing with a new strata manager.
Yes — we publish a free PDF guide, 'Switching Your Strata Manager: A Practical Guide'. It walks through the 5-step process, state-by-state notice periods (NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, ACT, TAS) and a full handover checklist. Download it from the resource panel on this page or from the blog.